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Kotoura-san 8 & 9 – Here Comes Drama

Drama is being snuck into Kotoura-san, and these last two episodes are all the proof we need. Can the series transition once again, and do so smoothly?

Last week I avoided writing anything about episode eight, simply because there wasn’t much I could say. It was an adorable first date episode, sure. More of the same comedy we’re used to – red faces, perverted thoughts, over-reactions – with some more romance between Manabe and Kotoura. A nice episode that ended with a minute or so of drama. Much like the post-Moritani incident, these past episodes of Kotoura-san have lulled us into a sense of fake security that’s about to be broken. In retrospect, that drama might have been the hint that the series is transitioning once again into something more dramatic. In fact, episode eight might have been the last piece of carefree, feel-good fun we’ll be getting for a while. At least that’s what episode nine is hinting at.

There seems to be an abundant supply of dramatic events in the episode. Rumours at school are revisited if only for a short while, as is Kotoura’s reunion with her mother. The woman keeps on being detestable, even scolding her daughter for not greeting her properly; made me want to punch her in the face. There was a silver lining to this situation that came from the man himself, Manabe. As he continues to help Kotoura in her hours of need, he manages to evoke a more loving response from her mother. More proof that as goofy and perverted as he is, for a love interest and male lead, he really comes through. She also had the support of her senpai, however that might not be the case for so long.

With the recent development involving an attacker, you can just sense Yuriko’s meddling on the horizon. She’s been a character to watch out for, since her ulterior motives are still present. For now she’s only nudged Kotoura, but you can just see this being the perfect opportunity for her to insert herself into the situation. For now I think we’re more-or-less safe, though I suspect this will kick in an episode or two and then we’ll be in for more drama. At this moment, we may be getting some unexpected drama of the Moritani variety.

The ending of episode nine left a lot of questions. My main worry is that the plot may overextend itself by going down this road, since the end looked like something out of a horror-mystery series. What the series does with it remains to be seen, and can affect the quality of the last three episodes.

It’s still too early to judge the drama. Episode nine didn’t convince me we’re in safe hands just yet. It was a transitional episode so I won’t write off the new arc just yet, but I’ll be approaching it with some caution. This is an important point in Kotoura-san, and hopefully the transition to drama will be smooth.